Attack On Alchemy
by indi-dere
Summary: "It was three months ago that Eren and Armin had encountered their first real fight with the Titans. Stumbling along blindly, they ran long and hard."Eren!" The voice choked. "Eren, they're catching up!" Armin's voice trembled, dashing madly to catch up with the hunter..." SnK Alchemy AU
1. The First Encounter

**AN: Aaaaaahhhh . It's been YEARS since I've written fanfiction oh gosh, but the urge just hit me, and I could always use the practice…This is eventually going to be Eren x Armin (I plan on making it a rather lengthy fic…****because I'm a masochist****), and I've based the world LOOSELY off of the FMA/FMAB universe. Very loosely. I just pictured Eren slicing homunculi and drawing circles and thought it would be super rad…All critiques and comments are welcomed…**

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_ It was three months ago that Eren and Armin had encountered their first real fight with the Titans. Footsteps thudded, heavy boots pounding as loud as their hearts. Corridors curved into the unknown darkness. Stumbling along blindly, they ran long and hard._

_"Eren!" The voice choked. "Eren, they're catching up!" Armin's voice trembled, dashing madly to catch up with the hunter as they fled._

_Eren attempted to slow the bleeding by tightly clutching the wound on his left side, gritting his teeth in pain.  
"We're almost out!" He calls back to Armin, taking a daring glance behind himself to assess the situation._

_Homunculi were an alchemy marked as taboo, artificial life. Of course, because they were man-made, something always went wrong. These creatures never quite looked human. They were tall and fast - filled with murderous intent. Reaching an intimidating height of 8 feet tall, they towered over the average human. These homunculi dubbed "titans" roamed the streets, killing and eating endlessly. Alchemists with exceptional combat skills called homunculi hunters used their knowledge to fight the artificial beings, but often just doing their best simply to survive._

_Grasping desperately at his broken and bleeding arm, pain shot through every fiber of Armin's being. Eyes wide with fear and adrenaline, he pulled ahead of Eren just slightly. Finally reaching the exit, the moonlight blinded them. Armin grabbed Eren's arm dragging and flinging themselves unceremoniously into the nearby shrubbery, hiding anxiously._

_Sniffing around and galloping the area surrounding the abandoned building, the titans grew bored and eventually wandered back emptyhanded. Large waves of relief washed over the two before they carefully got up, minding their injuries. There had been an aberrant in the mix, a titan with an uncommonly high intellect, taking Eren and Armin by surprise._

_"Those fuckers," Eren grimaced, applying pressure to his side to stifle the bleeding as best as he could. Looking back at Armin, cradling his arm gently and biting his lip in pain, regret overwhelmed him. They were careless, and it had cost them; of course if they continued to be careless they'd take much more damage than a few broken bones and bleeding…_

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"Hold still, Eren." Armin stated, frustration lingering in his voice.

"But it hurts…" Eren moaned, letting out a small whine of protest. Letting his arms cover his eyes, he sighed. He winced in pain - his side hadn't completely healed yet, and Armin doting on him like a hen was getting on his nerves.

"I know it hurts, but it won't get better unless we keep it clean and change the bandages. So. Hold. Still." He punctuated in response, tightly wrapping the gauze around Eren's torso.

It was a month since their encounter with the aberrant and the other titans. Armin's arm had healed rather quickly, although still resting in its splint, had otherwise recovered. Eren unfortunately took much more damage, breaking several ribs and opening a few large gashes on his left side. Recovery was a bitch, and Eren was antsy. Armin knew it wouldn't be long before his friend would claim to be fine and run back onto the battlefield again…it was his job as a homunculi hunter after all. Finally done wrapping the wound sufficiently, Armin placed the leftover gauze on the side table.

"There. Done." Armin sighed.

Eren lifted his arms from his face, carefully stretching his torso in an attempt to make the wrapped gauze feel a tad more comfortable. It still hurt, but the recovery was going smoothly. He glanced over at Armin's splint, pangs of guilt in his gut. If he had just been more carefu-

"Eren, I know what you're thinking." Armin's stern voice snapped him from the train of thought. Looking up to meet the blonde's eyes, he quickly diverted them in momentary shame.

Sighing, Armin scratched the back of his neck before responding. "It's not all your fault, I wasn't careful either. We both got our asses handed to us. We should have waited till Mikasa gets back from her mission. Doing it by ourselves was a ridiculous idea…" He trailed off. Mikasa was enrolled in the military upon the state's request due to her outstanding combat performance. While she had been reluctant to leave Eren and Armin, both had convinced her to pursue it. She was rarely home any more, taking missions to fight against rebels and alchemists that broke the laws in hopes to make the world safer for them.

"Anyways, it's not all your fault, so don't shoulder the blame like that. It's not good for your injuries." Armin added, sitting across from Eren in the living area. Sighing deeply, he surveyed the familiar room. Dark, weathered wood paneled the floor, a tattered fading rug in the center. Several chairs and a small table were clustered in the corner, an oven in another and a fireplace across from that. Shifting his thoughts once again, he grabbed a glass of water, slowly sipping at it. He would need to brush Eren up on some alchemy circles if they were to continue like this — Eren's swords were nearly broken, the roughly carved circles on each glowing only faintly. The blunt blades would need to be sharpened as well if they were intended to slice. Eren cleared his throat, catching Armin's attention.

"Uh, thanks for fixing me up again…" Eren mumbled, his eyes still not making contact. "I promise to do my best to get stronger, so I can protect you even without Mikasa around…" Armin smiles slightly.

"You took the brunt of the damage, and I can take care of myself, Eren." He replies simply.

Eren nods in agreement, but a look of slight distress is still painted on his face.

"They're still out there…" Eren speaks, breaking the momentary silence. "We didn't kill them, and now they're probably killing innocent people because some idiot decided to break the law." His eyebrows furrowed. "How can they do this? How can people create these monsters so willingly?" His tone gradually increased in volume before he balls up his fists. "Why are we so weak?!" His eyes water, but Eren doesn't cry. The question resonates, suspended in the air around them.

"Eren, please…We can kill them next time. They just took us by surprise, it was dark and we should have been more careful. You aren't weak, you just made a mista-" Armin was cut off by the brunette pushing himself off the table and walking towards his room. It was late.

"Good night, Armin." Eren cut him off, his statement showing no space to continue the conversation.

"Good night, Eren…" Armin whispered softly, nodding slightly before heading to his room as well.

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**I would super appreciate reviews and comments! Feel free to pm me, I'm always on the lookout for beta readers.**


	2. Recovery

**AN: Ahh I got so much great feedback on my last chapter (on several different sites too) Thank you guys for your support w I super appreciate it! It's just a quick little update chapter (I know it's short, I'm sorry). There will be more action in chapter 3, I just felt like I need to focus more on how they interacted when not in a life threatening situation and how they would make up..**

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The next morning, both teens pretended that the previous night never happened. Eren sat by the fireplace, legs crossed as he carefully sharpened his blades while Armin sat by the window looking at his book. The blonde boy shifted his eyes between the pages of circles and words to check on Eren, meanwhile wondering if he should say something. With hesitance, he opened his mouth and with his voice barely audible, he broke the silence.

"Eren..." Armin mumbled, suddenly diverting his eyes back to his book. Eye contact was too awkward at the moment and he couldn't be bothered to stop himself from what he was going to say.

"Hmm?" Eren looked up curiously, lowering his sword. Armin took a deep breath and looked up from his book to make eye contact with his green-eyed friend.

"I'm sorry, if what I said upset you." He states simply, but sincerely. Taking the lack of a reply as the end of the conversation, he diverts his eyes back to his book, text swirling around in his mind- he wasn't even reading. He flips the pages casually, suddenly he registered that Eren was speaking. He pauses from his book and looks back up at Eren.

"-'s fine, Armin. I was just being pissy. I hate being unable to do anything. It makes me feel so useless." He states, almost casually, but the blonde knows better. It always took a lot to get Eren to apologize, so maybe he understood? With a small grin, Armin smiled softly.

"You're recovering just fine, Eren. Soon enough we'll be slicing titans, heck- maybe even in a few more weeks." Eren's eyes gleam, and Armin's smile widens.

Eren picks back up his sword, sharpening it. Inspecting it periodically, he pulled it away from his face and into the light before squinting closely at the now sharp edges. He then took a metal file, and delicately ground at the edge. When done, he inspected the edge once more and smiled to himself, seeming to be satisfied with his work.

"Make sure you enforce the magic circle on the blade, it's fading," Armin tells him teasingly, noticing how deeply Eren is concentrating. He chuckled and he returned to his book, his heart lighter. Eren rolled his eyes, now polishing the newly sharpened blade on a small whetstone.

The light begins to fade from the window as dusk sets. After another (rather whiney) bandage changing session of Eren's wounds, they began lighting the house. Plopping onto the couch, Armin sighed as he rubbed his temples. Rotating his wrist, he tried to relieve the stiffness of his joints. Finally able to take off the splint left his arm feeling light and weak. The blonde stretched loudly on the sofa, calling back to Eren who still was in the kitchen.

"Eren, don't forget tonight is your night to cook." He yawned, looking over at a grumpy Eren.

"Yeah, yeah..." Eren mumbled, getting up and starting on dinner.

The night passed by rather uneventful, both enjoying the simple stew Eren had spent little effort on. But of course, Armin wasn't going to complain.

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**AN: So how'd you like it? Feel free to comment/critique with suggestions. I'm sorry it's so short, but I figured that it would be best for this chapter... Next one will have more action and less cooped-up Eren.**


	3. Near-Death Experiences

**AN: Woot woot, ch3 lets go sooooooonnnnnnnnn. I'd really appreciate feedback on this (since I'm still super rusty when it comes to fanfiction)**

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The gauze lay crumpled in a heap on the floor. Eren stood next to it, stretching energetically as the loud pops of his bones echoed the room. He glanced over to the mirror, looking at the long, pale white scar on his left side. He tentatively touched it with his finger and traced it gently, following it like a path. He met his own eyes in the mirror and grinned.

"I look fucking _awesome_," he mumbled, chuckling confidently as he started to flex in the mirror, not realizing the blonde boy leaning against the door-frame.

"Eren, you are acting ridiculous." Armin chided, as Eren jumped slightly in surprise and embarrassment. He glanced over at the blonde and sheepishly smiled.

"Aww, come on—don't be like that. You know how super psyched I am about not being wrapped up like a damn mummy anymore," Eren replied playfully, Armin simply smiled in retaliation; of course he knew how excited Eren was, he remembered the way the brunettes eyes lit up when he told him that his wounds were all healed. His own arm had healed a few weeks ago, and he worked hard to help rebuild the strength he had lost due to the injury.

"You need to train before recklessly going out again, though, Eren. Otherwise you'll be a mummy for another month and a half." Armin reminded his friend, all the while giving him a stern look.

"Yeah, yeah- of course." Eren said, hardly listening as he grabbed his swords from the table, swinging them experimentally. The magic circles glowed brightly, due to him taking Armin's advice about re-enforcing them. Swinging them once again, he noted just how out of practice he was.

"Shit…I guess I do need to train…" He mumbled to himself while Armin chuckled.

"I told you." The blonde said with a cocky smirk, earning a playful glare from Eren.

* * *

Back to back, the boys clutched their swords. Armin was wiping blood from his face, and Eren flicked said liquid off his swords. Both caught their breath while they looked around them. Steaming titan corpses littered the ground around their feet in a rough circle. At least eight were dead and they were exhausted. City cleanup was taking a lot longer than anticipated, but there seemed to be no aberrants for them to worry about.

"Haah, I was worried those last few would take a bite out of me for sure…" Armin sighed in almost relief as he dropped to his knees, trying to slow his rapid heartbeat. Eren plopped down beside him, dropping his swords and staring up at the sky as he breathed heavily.

"Damn, that took so much longer than it should have." Eren called out in a raspy voice to his friend.

"Seriously, tell me about it…" Armin muttered out and groaned, his heartbeat slowly steadying itself. Finally having caught his breath, he stood up, looking over to Eren, and holding out his hand to help his friend up. Eren's face lit up with a grin on his face as he grasped Armin's hand. The blond yanked him up, and Eren worked to regain his balance and composure back.

"You still up for another round of slice and dice?" Eren called over to his friend as he bent down to pick up his swords.

"You bet." Armin replied as he spun his swords with his own anticipation. Eren looked over to his friend with a grin.

"Whoever kills the least has to cook tonight!" He betted confidently. Armin looked at him and pouted.

"No fair, tonight was supposed to be your night to cook, Eren. You're so lazy." Nonetheless, the blonde boy grinned "Fine, you're on."

An aura of cockiness surrounds Eren as he laughs. He then shoots off like a bullet, running down the street. Suddenly, he spots two titans and slices their necks. The blades bit easily into the artificial flesh, blood splattering everywhere. The bodies crumple to the ground and giant bursts of steam rise up as it clouds over the bodies, making it impossible for Eren to see his kills. A blurry figure rushes through the steam, snapping at Eren and he jumps back before it could bite him.

"Fuck!" He curses loudly, falling backwards. His swords fall to the ground a few feet away, just out of his reach. His nerves are standing on end as the titan approaches. It gets closer, snapping its jaws at him again as he rolls narrowly to dodge. Just as he reaches for his blades, the titan lunges towards him.

Eren's blade goes through the titan's chest, a wound that would be fatal for humans, but merely creates a minuscule amount of distance between the hunter and the homunculi. Armin appeared behind the titan, slicing its head off with his own swords before it could attack Eren again. Rolling his eyes, he crouches down next to the brunette.

"I just saved your life. I think for a reward, you should make me dinner," Armin tries to say jokingly, but his tone holds a hint of irritation due to Eren's mishap.

"I totally had him! And I killed more than you anyw-" Eren argues, but with the daggers of the death glare Armin is giving him, he stopped him midsentence. Armin was pissed; even Eren wasn't stupid enough to not notice. With a sigh, Eren gets up and brushes himself off.

"Whatever." Eren mumbles.

"We've made enough progress for today, let's go back home before you almost get yourself killed _again_." Armin's tone is sharp, and Eren flinches. He's rarely this pissed, and it's obvious why he chooses now to be. He always gets angry at him when Eren would brashly run into dangerous situations that seemed to almost always push himself to the brink of death. It was more or less a habit by now that he rarely took the time to observe his environment, even when it was infested with titans.

Eren felt guilty, but Armin was right. He didn't echo his thoughts aloud, knowing if he did, it'd just boost the blonde's ego, causing him to reply with a smug 'I told you so'. Eren noted that he needed to be more cautious of his surroundings. Figuring it was the least he could do, he reasoned that he could make dinner tonight in hopes to get back on the blonde's good side. He looked behind him to relay the notice to his friend, but suddenly stops dead in his tracks after seeing the tears that are streaming down Armin's dirty cheeks. Eren suddenly realizes that Armin is crying because of _him_ and the guilt hit him again like a wave.

"A-Armin, holy shit, man—what's wrong?" Eren grabs his childhood friend by the shoulders, making eye contact. Swollen, red eyes full of tears meet the worried green ones and Armin breaks down.

"E-Eren... I was so scared it was going to kill you. I don't know what I would have done if you were gone," he mumbles as he clutches his fists tightly. Eren takes note that he's now trembling as he continues to babble.

"What would I have told Mikasa? She'd hate me, blame all of this on me. I wouldn't know how to live with myself. I-I don't want to lose you, Eren. You're so important to me. I don't want to lose you, you're like family," he whimpers out, voice cracking every few words, causing Eren to look away, ashamed.

"Look, man…I'm sorry, I should have been more careful, I know." Eren says, unsure of how to comfort his sobbing friend.

"What if you got hurt again like you did last time? What if it isn't just your side again, but somewhere where it can't heal. Some place I can't fix? What if you die, Eren?!" Armin yells, both mad and terrified. He pulls Eren close to him, embracing him.

"Please, Eren. Think about us…We're your friends…" He mutters into Eren's chest, tears and titan blood staining the brunette's shirt but Eren gently reciprocates the hug nonetheless.

"I promise I'll be more careful. Please don't worry about me, Armin." He speaks softly, patting the blonde lightly on the back while the tears slowly fade.

"You're so stupid sometimes, Eren. You know that?" Armin looks up, wiping his messy face as he stands up.

"Yeah, I know. I'll make dinner tonight to make up for it, okay? And I'll be more careful next time." Eren speaks calmly. Armin nods in agreement. Slowly, they walk back to their home, exhaustion wearing them both down.

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**AN: So ahhh, chapter three. Yay? Anyways, feel free to leave critiques, comments, and questions if you have any. I always enjoy getting feedback.**


	4. Visit From Mikasa

**AN: Ahhhh, I got a tad stuck thinking of how I want to continue. I have a lot of ideas, but I don't want to use them QUITE yet. So often I kinda just sit down and type out a scene and then go with it. Thank you all for your support! The one thing I kinda want to address in this chapter is something that bugs me...I always hate when people push aside Mikasa for the sake of a pairing and sort of ignore her. She's a major part of Eren's life and I feel that's unfair if not done right. I love Mikasa, she's one of my favorite characters.**

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The door creaked open and the light squeak of the wooden floorboards echoed through the small cabin. Although the sun began to set, thin light streamed through the dusty windows. A loud thud resonated as a large, dirty, duffle bag is dropped on the floor. Eren peaked out to see a familiar silhouette standing in the doorway. His face lit up as soon as he recognized who it was.

"Mikasa!" Eren shouted as he rushed over to her.

"I'm home," she smiled softly at the warm welcome. She slowly shook off her military jacket and hung it on the coat rack. Armin walks out soon after and immediately notices Mikasa.

"Mikasa! When did you get back?" He asked, pleasantly surprised.

"A few minutes ago," She casually remarked, a small smile on her face.

"Well, welcome back! How long are you staying this time?" Armin grinned, he had missed Mikasa, but not nearly as much as the green-eyed boy standing beside her.

"A few days, they let me take a temporary leave," She replieed, loosening her trademark red scarf. With a tired sigh, she slid onto the sofa, stretching comfortably as she looked around the living room.

"You two have kept the place surprisingly clean and intact... nice," She sayid in a joking manner, but was actually somewhat shocked by their ability to survive without her. She was always worried about Eren, he could be rather flighty and irresponsible, running head-on into danger. He did have Armin, though, so she wasn't overly worried. The three of them having been childhood friends for as long as she could remember, she had grown to trust Armin with her step brother.

"So what would you like for dinner, Mikasa?" Armin asked, causing Eren to perk up.

"I'll help!" Eren quickly added, grinning. Armin laughed, seeing the brunette so excited was a nice change of pace. The last couple of months had been rather harsh on the two boys as they fared their way through crowds of the deadly homonculi and broken bones.

After the Armin and Eren prepared dinner, the trio sat at the table as Eren slurped away at his soup. It was a rather quiet dinner, but peaceful nonetheless.

"So have you still been cleaning up the titans in this area?" Mikasa asked as she took a small bite of her bread.

"Not as much as I would like, but yeah," Eren grumbled, recalling the past few months of him recovering. Mikasa stayed silent for a bit, but the reply piqued her interest. Finally she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I just got hurt, so I had to go easy for a while. It totally sucked, right Armin?" Eren replied casually, waving his spoon in the air before taking another bite of bread. Armin jumped as soon as he was called out. He can feel Mikasa's burning glare and he quickly avoided eye contact. The soup suddenly seemed an interesting subject.

"So, uhh, how long did you say you were going to be here again, Mikasa?" Armin asked, quickly changing the subject. He took a sip of the soup, adamantly refusing to look her in the eyes.

"A few days. Wh-" She was cut off before she could pose the question.

"Oh! then you can totally kill titans with us while you're here, right, Mikasa?" Eren's eyes held a certain gleam, and Mikasa's attention was diverted back to the green-eyed boy.

"I don't see why not." She shrugged, biting into her bread.

"Great!" Eren exclaimed, and quickly finished up the rest of his soup in a haste. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he jumped up from the table.

"Let's go!" He shouted, bouncing excitedly, energy radiating from him. Mikasa could only smile as she finished her soup. When finished, she grabbed her gear and slung back on her coat.

"Alright. Are you coming too, Armin?" She asked and glanced behind herself to make eye contact with the blonde boy.

"Ah, no thanks, I need to clean up anyways," Armin answered politely. With Mikasa accompanying Eren, he had nothing to worry about, so he could finally get some things done around the house without fearing for his friend's life. Mikasa nodded as Eren grabbed his swords. Adjusting her red scarf, a slightly muffled reply was iterated.

"Well, we're off." She said in her usual, calm demeanor.

"We'll be back later, Armin! Take care!" Eren waved, a silly grin plastered on his face. Armin couldn't help but smile as he saw them off. It was always nice to see his friends so cheery. The worn wooden door swung shut, and Armin sighed.

"Guess I better get to work." He shrugged, looking around the room.

* * *

The air was cold and crisp, and moon shone brightly below, it's rays illuminating the surrounding area. The green-eyed boy took in raspy breathes in an attempt to steady his heartbeat, as his coat was stained slightly with blood. The raven-headed girl had yet to break a sweat. Spending nearly a year in almost solely combat had her prepared for the worst. Eren had fared rather well, he was still keeping up with her. Something seemed slightly off from his usual self in combat though, Mikasa noted, still unable to pinpoint what it was. Suddenly she saw a blur in her peripheral vision.

"Mikasa, on your left!" Eren shouted. She leaped without hesitation. Using her momentum as a boost, she built up speed in the air and spun quickly as her blades stuck out. She mowed down the attacking homonculus and cleanly disconnected it's head from it's shoulder. A hiss of steam arose from the corpse, causing a sigh of relief escaped from Eren. She was about to reply when a shadow loomed over Eren. He quickly noticed the lack of light above him, and nimbly rolled to the side. A distinct click of teeth snapped as a titan had been mere seconds away from taking a bite. Eren sliced the now unprotected neck of the attacking homonculus, causing it to collapse, the severed head rolling a few feet before erupting in a cloud of hot steam.

It all clicked in Mikasa's head. Eren had become more aware of his surroundings. He had taken action before she could even speak up to warn him or take action herself. A relieved smile spread across her face as she ran over to hug him. Somehow... _Somehow_ he'd changed. It was definitely for the better, and although it was just a slight change she was so happy. As Mikasa squeezed him tightly, Eren stood confused, his grip on his swords slacking slightly.

"Mikasa?" He asked, befuddled. He was not met with a verbal reply, but rather a physical one as Mikasa silently gripped him tighter. Eventually, the brunette gave in, and hugged her back.

* * *

The next few days followed the same routine. After eating dinner together, the two half-siblings would leave and take care of business while Armin took care of his own. Mikasa carefully noted how much Eren had improved in combat; he started taking the time to observe his surroundings and formulate a rough plan rather than dive blindly and head-first into the situation like he used to. She decided to ask Armin about this change.

"Armin, can I talk to you?" Mikasa stated bluntly. The blonde boy quickly closed his book, returning his pen to his desk as he looked up surprised at the raven-headed girl.

"Sure, Mikasa. What's up?" He asked.

"Eren's been more observant in battle lately. He hasn't been pulling his usual stupid stunts and has been taking less risks. Do you know why?" The steel-eyed girl cut to the chase, asking the question that's been weighing on her mind as of recently. Armin smiles softly, if what Mikasa says is true, then that means that Eren actually listened to him and was thinking about more than just himself now.

"Really? That's great. I'm really glad he decided to hear me out!" He replied with a bright smile, causing Mikasa to raise an eyebrow.

"So you helped him change?" She asked.

"W-Well, I guess I kind of helped...but it was mostly him for actually listening and stuff..." Armin's ears turned a slight shade of pink. _He _had helped?

"Thank you, Armin," Mikasa's normal cool demeanor now replaced with genuine relief as she grasped at her scarf.

"It's good to know Eren's in good hands while I'm gone," She added before turning around to leave. As she exited the room, Armin's face was flushed. Had he really made that big of an impact on Eren? It was relieving to know that Mikasa trusted him, he would do his best to upkeep that trust. Before he could reply, he had noticed that she was no longer in the room. Standing up, he walked into the living room where he saw her slide her jacket back on. Grabbing her duffle bag once more, she reached for the handle of the door.

"You're leaving already?" Eren called out from the sofa. She nodded.

"I told you it would only be a few days," She replied as she opened the door and in retaliation, Eren sighed.

"I'm gonna miss you, Mikasa," He mumbled as he stood up from the sofa and walked over to her, pulling her in for a hug as he whispered his goodbyes.

"You better not die, okay?" Eren tells her, his voice stern as he looks her in the eye. She smiles and nods her head as they break apart from the hug.

"I promise," Stepping out the door, she turned back around and called out to both Eren and Armin.

"I'll be back soon!" She said seeming cheerfully, but still is reluctant to leave.

"Bye!" Both boys called out to her as she finally shut the door.

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**AN: I feel that Eren and Mikasa act too much like a really close brother and sister and that's one reason why I could never hop aboard the Eremika train. It just feels like incest to me. I still love Mikasa to pieces, though. Don't get me wrong, I just don't see them in a romantic light.**


	5. Sparring Practice

AN: Oh gosh, for a while I completely lost the motivation to write, but I finally got it back! Still trying to take the characters and stuff slowly. Thank you for your patience and support!

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The dust settled slowly, and Armin's nose twitched. He really needed to give the place a good dusting; half of the books in the makeshift library were older than he was, causing them to collect years worth of dust along the covers and spines. It wasn't being too kind to his allergies. Sighing softly, he flipped the worn page of his current book, skimming the words, and unable to truly immerse himself in the text as usual. He closed the book with slight reluctance and stood up, deciding that some stretching might do him some good.

Mikasa's words had lingered in Armin's mind for weeks, and the blonde's cheeks were just the slightest bit pink whenever he thought back on it. _"It's good to know Eren is in good hands while I'm gone..." _were her words, and they caused the blue-eyed boy to let a small smile slip from his lips. He felt so important in that single moment, like he truly mattered, and it was such an unbelievable feeling - being relied upon with someone you care for. A loud knock suddenly interrupted his thoughts, and the blonde looked over to the door instinctively.

"It's open." he called out loud enough for the other to hear. With a creak, the door swung open and the familiar, energetic brunette had a fire in his turquoise eyes.

"Armin!"

"Yes, Eren?" The blonde replied, raising a single brow.

"Let's spar!" Came the reply, and an amused smile appeared on Armin's face at the suggestion.

"What brings you to suggest that all of a sudden?" he asks, simply out of curiosity.

"Well, we haven't sparred in _forever_." Eren replied as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, and I wanna see if I can still pin you down. I bet I can!" a cocky grin plastered on his face, Eren's eyes were still ablaze with energy. Armin could tell there was no way to talk himself out of this sparring match with the determination Eren seemed to have today, but then again, he wasn't about to back down from a challenge like that regardless.

"You sound pretty confident in yourself." Armin laughs.

"You bet!" Eren retorts with self-assurance. "Let's go! One-on-One. CQC. Backyard. Now," he said, cracking his knuckles for added effect, causing the blonde to laugh.

"Alright, alright." Armin reluctantly agrees, following the excited brunette out of the door and to the backyard.

* * *

Left punch. Right kick. Left punch. Right punch. Left Kick. The blonde was too easy to read, and Eren blocked each of his attacks with ease. Routine began to set in and Eren's mind began to auto-pilot as he sparred with the blonde. But suddenly, he was laying on the ground. Confused, he looked up at Armin, who appeared slightly frustrated.

"Don't underestimate me, dammit! You're the one that wanted to spar, so take it SERIOUSLY!" His voice raised, and his annoyance clear. He holds out his hand to the brunette on the ground, helping him up as they prepare to continue sparring. He began to hit harder, causing Eren to begin countering and soon enough the two were locked in intense combat. Both were focused on weaving past the other and landing hits, their concentration completely steady. Going in for a kick, Armin's defense opened. Eren immediately swept his feet. Losing his balance, Armin instinctively grabbed Eren's arm, dragging the other down with him as he fell.

"Oomf-" the blonde grimaced, looking up at Eren right on top of him.

"You left your defense open" Eren blurted, looking at the boy underneath him.

"Yeah? Well you're heavy." Armin bitterly retorted, mildly irked that he had lost the match. He looked up at the green-eyed boy with annoyance, but the expression slowly melted as soon as he saw the brunette's innocent pout.

"Anyways, are you gonna get off me, yet?" Armin asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh, uh- yeah." Eren murmured, almost...embarrassed? He rolled off the blonde and laid in the grass next to him, staring at the sky as he tried to catch his breath. The match ended up being more intense than usual, Eren noted, remembering how he had to keep his guard up a lot more, and was very close to losing a few times. Armin was definitely getting stronger, Eren had to give him that. With a tired but satisfied sigh, Eren looked over at Armin.

"Told you I'd win," He said, grinning despite how worn out he felt.

"Yeah, yeah." Armin chuckled, rolling his eyes. He stole a glance at Eren, taking note of his cheerful grin. _I guess I'm kinda okay losing this time since he seems so happy. But next time, I won't lose! _Armin slowly gets up and brushed the grass off his shirt and pants.

"Next time I'll get you for sure." the blonde said, a determined fire mimicking Eren's own in his eyes. The fight was a lot less one-sided than usual, and he knew it. It felt unbelievably amazing that they were getting stronger.


End file.
